Apparatus for making hollow rubber articles



June 9, 1925.

AL H.. BATES APPARATUS FOR MAKING HOLLOW RUBBER ARTICLES i original Filed Aug; 2o. 1925 g f1 l il arrow/w13@ `Patented June 9, 1925.

UNITED STATES A1,540,812 PATENT oFFicE.

ALBERT H. DATES, or CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, oHIo, AssIGNoa To PAEAMoU-NT BUE- EEE CONSOLIDATED, INC., or TUcKAIIoE, NEW YORK, A coEPoEATIoN or DELA- WARE.

APPARATUS FOR MAKING HOLLOW RUBBER ARTICLES.

Original application led August 20, 1923, Serial No. 658,271. Divided and this application led September 20, 1924. Serial No. 738,842.

To all lwhom it may concern Be it known that I, ALBERT-H. BATES, a citizen offthe United States, residing at Cleveland Heights, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a cer- `tain new and useful Improvement in an Apparatus for Making Hollow Rubber Articles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to molds forv use in the manufacture of hollow rubber articles and comprises a division of my copending' application Serial No. 658,271, iiled August 20, 1923. In my copending application, I have described an apparatus of the type wherein stock is seated pneumatically in mold cavities, thus obviating the necessity for plungers` for seating the stock, and for Y compressed air is admitted to seat the stock nin the cavities, whereupon the mold with the rubber-lined cavities is discharged and conveyed to the proper place.' Thereupon, one mold can be placed upon another, and the two placed within a hydraulic press to join ings which show one embodiment, while the essential features will besummarized in the' claims.

' In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a plan view of one of the molds showing a sheet of the plastic stock lying.thereon; Fig. 2-is a cross section through such mold taken on the line 2-2 inFig. 1; Fig. 3 is a sectional detail illustrating diagrammatically a portion of a press employed for pneumatically seating the stock in the mold cavities; and Fig. 4 is side elevation, partly in section showin cooperating portions of two of the'mol members as forced together to join the stock. I have shown my invention in connection with a mold section, comprising a block 10 having, in its upper portion, a series of outwardly facingcavities 11 each surrounded by anannular raised cutting edge'12. Each cavity is providedv with one or more vents 13 which lead downwardly to transverse` passageways 14 which are common to a row of cavities. `These transverse passageways terminate in a header passageway 15. A single valve 20 in a downward outwardly opening branch 16 of the header passageway, may thus control the vents .for all of the' cavities.

The preferred construction of the valve 20, embodies a quarter-turn type of plug, which is seated in a cavity 21 in the mold base, and is pressed to its seat by a spring 22 which bears against a suitablecollar 23. Thiscollar may be in threaded en agement with the mold, and ma e brace t e shank of the plug. A suitab e lilndle 25 may be employed for actuating the valve. The plug may have a diametric passageway 26 where by when the handle is in the down orin the substantially horizontal position shown in Fig. 2,-the vents arel all o en. When the.

then the vents are all closed. Suitable stops, as for example. pins 27 and 28 may be used for limiting the movementI of the handle.

" handle is nearly vertical, as s own in Fig. `4,

In Fig. 1, va sheet ofrubber is indicated by the broken lines A, as lying across all of the cavities. The apparatus setJ forth in my copending application heretofore referred to, clamps the sheet about the margin and subjects the interior region to an air pressure above that of the atmosphere while the valve 20 is open. A portion of the clamping device is indicated at 30 in'Fig.v 4,. while a conduit 31 through which compressed air may be conveyed to the clamping member is indicated as attached tolthe member 30. Whenthe air under. pressure is admitted into the member 30, the rubber is`causedto be seated within the cavities,

as indicated in Fi 4. p Then if vthevalve 20 is closed, the ru ber will remain in the seated position indefinitely, after. the air pressure is removed. Accordingly, if two of the molds with their cavities l1n`ed with rubber, are placed one upon theother and,

pressed' together, then the annular edges 12 operate to form an effective seam, and at .the-sameltime to cut off. the surplus stock,

. as indicated in Fig. 4.'

biscuit and also functions to relieve the internal pressure caused by the .reduction ofV cubical content of the hollow biscuit after the air isfirst entrapped therein. The

. during o r preliminary to the joining operareduction of volume and corresponding increase in pressure results from the factthat the molds arebrought together a distance substantially equal. to two thicknesses of rubber after the two sheets of rubber on the cooperating mold members have touched.

and confined the air. This feat-ure however, is no part. of the present invention, and, so far as the present application is concerned, may be employed or omitted as desired.

" The mold made in accordance with my invention and as illustrated in the drawings, is adapted for making hollow rubber articles such as balls, but it is to be understood that the mold is equally adaptable vfor hol-l low rubber articles of other form and material. l

An advantage of the` mold however, is the fact that the stock may be. seated under pneumatic pressure and thereafter retained lwit-hin the mold cavities at will for an in definite period. This permits the rubber lining of the mold cavities ata very ra id speed entirely independently of the machine which e'ects the junction of the., biscuits. Moreover the molds may be roughly handled without danger of unseatingrthe stock tion.

claim :-w

1. In an apparatus for kmaking hollow ar-l ticles of plastic material, a cavitary mold having` a vent, and a valve carried by the Having described my invention, I'

'my signature.

'2. In an apparatusfor making hollow articles of plastic material, -a mold having a cavity 'surrounded by a 'raised'cutting edge and havin avent, and a valve carried by the mold ger said vent-,and having means whereby it may be opened.' i

3. In an apparatus for making hollow articles of plastic material, the combination of a mold -having a set 0f cavities, vents leading therefrom to a common discharge, and a valve carried by the mold controllin the discharge andV provided with means w ereby -the valve. may be opened.

4. `In an apparatus for making hollow ar ticles of plastic material, the combination of a mold having a set of cavities, vents leading therefrom ,to la common discharge, a

trolling lthe discharge and an external handle on the valve whereby it may be' opened.

. 5. In an apparatus for making hollow articles of plastic materiaLthe combination of a mold having a set of cavities each provided with a surrounding raised edge, vents leading rom\the respective cavities to a common discharge, a valve carried by the rotary plug valve carried by the mold conmold controlling the discharge and adapted tostand in either open or closed position, and externall means whereby'the valve may be opened.

6. In an apparatus for making hollow ar ticles of plastic material, a mold having a cavity, a vent leading therefrom, a valve' carried by the mold controlling the vent, said` valve having an external handle by which it may be opened or closed.

'7. In an apparatus `for making hollow articles of plastic material, the combination 0f a mold having a plurality of rows of cavities, passageways associated with the respective rows, apheader passageway communicating with the passageways mentioned and 4having a discharge openlng, a valve carried by the mold controlling the discharge and adapted to stand in eitlieropen or closed position, and external means whereby the valve may be opened.

In testimony whereof, IV hereunto ailix ALBERT H. BATEs 

